Cybercriminals are not searching for chaos—they’re searching for patterns. In a large, complex environment like UBC, where faculty and staff rely on well-established routines to keep work moving, those habits can unintentionally create a roadmap for attackers. Predictable behaviour, predictable passwords, even predictable technical settings, all lower the barrier for someone trying to gain unauthorized access.
Strengthening security at UBC isn’t just about powerful tools and new technology. It’s also about learning where predictability creates weaknesses and how small changes can introduce enough “unpredictability” to keep our community safer.
Where Predictability Creates Risk
Human Routines: An Attacker’s Starting Point
Reliable routines help our work run smoothly—but they also help attackers understand how we operate. Much of cybercrime relies on gathering intelligence about how people behave, how they write, and what they expect to see in daily communications.
Predictable habits can open the door to:
- Social Engineering: Attackers design phishing messages that mimic the tone, urgency, or writing style we are accustomed to. These messages exploit common human reactions, especially stress or time pressure.
- Password Patterns: Many people use easy-to-guess variations of familiar passwords, such as adding a year, a symbol, or a sequence like “123.” Even when password change policies exist, predictable tweaks can make passwords easier to guess, not harder.
When attackers understand our tendencies, they can tailor their approach to appear legitimate, and that’s when phishing and credential theft succeed.
Practical Steps for UBC Faculty and Staff
A few small, intentional choices can significantly reduce your predictability—and therefore your risk. Here’s how to incorporate unpredictability into your daily routine:
- Use Strong Password Practices: Avoid predictable tweaks or personal cues. A password manager can generate and store long, unique passwords that you don’t need to memorize.
- Enable and Use MFA: MFA is essential. Even if a password is compromised, MFA adds a layer of protection that attackers struggle to bypass.
- Stay Alert to Social Engineering: Watch for suspicious urgency, unusual requests, or small inconsistencies in emails. These are common signals of phishing attempts.
- Log Out Properly: When you finish using a sensitive application, always select “Log out.” Simply closing a tab may leave your session token active, increasing the risk of misuse.
- Keep Systems Updated: Routine updates ensure your device benefits from fixes, security enhancements, and features like ASLR that strengthen underlying protections.
These steps don’t require advanced skills; they simply require awareness and consistency.
Why This Matters at UBC
UBC manages a wide range of sensitive information, including personal data, financial records, and valuable research. Predictability in passwords, workflows, or system configurations can turn small vulnerabilities into reliable attack paths. For a university community of our size, even one exploited pattern can have wide-reaching implications.
Reducing predictability raises the cost, effort, and expertise required for attackers to succeed.
By making our routines a little less predictable, we strengthen UBC’s collective safety. Cybersecurity doesn’t depend on perfection; it depends on thoughtful habits and resilient foundations.